Paul Merson loses mind at ‘phenomenal’ Sunderland scenes vs Chelsea, Mike Dean reacts instantly
Sunderland shot up to second in the Premier League with a sensational last-minute win at Chelsea on Saturday.
Chemsdine Talbi scored in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the game to secure Sunderland’s historic 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Alejandro Garnacho put the London side ahead in the fourth minute. 18 minutes later, Wilson Isidor equalised, much to the delight of Andy Reid.
It looked as though the game was heading for a draw before Regis Le Bris‘ men sprung a lightning counter-attack in stoppage time, leading to Brian Brobbey holding up the ball and teeing up Talbi for his winner.
Mike Dean reacts to potential controversy in Sunderland’s late winner
It’s fair to say that Paul Merson’s mind was blown after seeing Talbi’s late, late winner for Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.
The former Arsenal player loved Brobbey’s hold-up play to let Talbi get forward.
However, Merson did admit that an offside decision might have had to be made by the officials.
Speaking on Sky Sports News as the goal went in, Merson said: “It’s 2-1 to Sunderland, it’s Talbi who’s scored it.
“Chelsea are on the attack, Estevao loses the ball and it gets cleared up, it gets booted.
“As it gets booted, I think the goalkeeper is going to come out and whack it back up the pitch. I don’t see him anywhere and Brobbey gets the ball, he holds it up, he holds it up and he holds it up and he lets the players come.
“Then he turns and he picks out Talbi, who’s running in, and he hits it first time and bends it in the far corner. Phenomenal goal. I just don’t know where the goalkeeper is.
“They can’t give offside for that, I’ll be shocked.”
Simon Thomas then asked Mike Dean if the goal could have been ruled out for offside because Lutsharel Geertruida was behind Chelsea’s line of defence when Talbi took his shot.
However, the ex-Premier League referee was confident that a VAR check wasn’t even needed.
He said: “Where he is, he’s in an offside position, but he’s not in the eyeline of the goalkeeper. So for me, it should be a goal and it shouldn’t even be looked at.”
What ex-Newcastle star Michael Carrick said about Sunderland’s win vs Chelsea
Even though he’s got ties to Newcastle and Middlesbrough, Michael Carrick could not help but praise Sunderland for their win over Chelsea.
As quoted on the BBC Sport website, Carrick said: “Anyone who is honest enough will say that they never expected Sunderland to start this well, so full credit to them.
“The amount of points they have accumulated already has given them an unbelievable start and that’s something they will want to build on. They looked quite comfortable and calm for long periods, but also looked dangerous. They just kept that belief to get the win.
“It’s a textbook away win at an, arguably, bigger team.”
The Black Cats’ 2-1 win on Saturday was their first at Stamford Bridge since April 2014 when Connor Wickham and Fabio Borini, who played for both Chelsea and Sunderland, netted in a 2-1 win.
On that occasion, it was also a late winner for the Black Cats, with Borini scoring from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute.
Coincidentally, it was Dean who refereed that game.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Sunderland news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account –@mackemnews247